Over 40? 40 Common Health Problems You Should Know

Did you know that about 12.9% of Canadians suffer from a chronic illness?

Although only a small percent of the Canadian population suffers from a chronic illness, our health is not the same after we hit a certain age. While many people expect the older population to get sick, you can still expect health problems in your 40s.

Over 40? common health problems are more relatable than you might think.

Read on to learn about these 40 common health problems you should know about. 

Over 40 Common Health Problems

When we are young, we can't wait to grow up and become adults. But once we reach adulthood, most of us wish time would slow down.

As we get older, we start noticing more and more changes in ourselves. It could be physical or internal.

Aging is inevitable. The older we get, the more informed we have to be of common health problems in our age group. It is important to know these common health problems you can experience once you are over 40.

1. Vision Problems

Vision loss is more common over the age of 40. Although you may see from far, you might have trouble reading or seeing smaller details.

This occurs because the macula in our eye grows thinner, causing tiny bumps of protein. This causes you to lose your central vision.

2. Changes in Your Hair

One of the very first signs of aging is having hair changes. As we get older, we start to have more and more grey hair.

Receding hairlines and thinning of hair are very common as well. A shift in ur hormones causes this. This is usually caused by low testosterone in both women and men.

3. Changes in Your Bladder 

As we get older, it is common to experience bladder problems. The nerves that control the bladder stop working as well as before.

Mostly everyone over the age of 40 is affected by this. There are medications you can take and exercises you can do to help. In some cases, Botox can be injected into the blader.

4. Risk of Type 2 Diabetes 

There are three types of Diabetes. Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes. You could get both types of diabetes at any age, except for gestational diabetes. Only pregnant women can be affected.

It is more likely for someone over the age of 40 to get type two diabetes. This type of diabetes is caused by having a bad diet, high cholesterol, not being physically active.

5. Tendonitis 

Tendonitis occurs when a tendon has been overused. This is commonly seen in athletes and people over 40.

You are more at risk of experiencing this if you focused on a specific sport or did the same movement for many years. The symptoms you can experience from having tendonitis is pain, swelling, and grinding joints.

6. High Blood Pressure

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a severe condition. It can cause a stroke, kidney failure, heart failure, and a heart attack.

When taking a systolic reading, if it reads 140 or higher, you have high blood pressure and should talk to your doctor right away.

7. Erectile Disfunction 

Erectile Disfunction is very common for men over the age of 40 to have trouble getting and maintaining an erection. This is typically caused by hypertension or metabolic syndrome and obesity.

This reduces the blood flow to the penis. There is medication you can take, such as Cialis and Viagra.

8. Menopause 

Menopause affects women over the age of 40 and 50. It is a natural process that concludes a women's menstrual cycle.

It's diagnosed after you have gone a whole year without having your menstrual cycle. Some symptoms you are in menopause is missed period, hot flashes, irritability, chills, sleep problems.

9. High Cholesterol

Having high cholesterol increases the chances of having a heart attack and heart problems. This is typically seen in adults, but any age can be affected.

The cause is genetics and bad habits. Not eating healthy plays a big factor. Eating healthy and frequent exercise can help prevent high cholesterol.

10. Slower Metabolism 

Having a fast metabolism helps convert your calories into energy at a fast pace. It helps with weight loss as you are constantly burning calories.

Over 40, common health problems include having a slower metabolism. A slow metabolism doesn't burn calories as fast, causing easy weight gain.

People over 40 have a slower metabolism because of their low muscle mass.

11. Osteoporosis 

Osteoporosis is when you lose bone density and mass. This causes you to fracture and break bones easier.

This disease affects millions of people. As you age, you lose bone density. Around the age of 40, bone loss tends to speed up for both women and men.

12. Sun Spots 

Sunspots are caused by being exposed to UV rays. But it is very common to develop age spots in your 40s.

These are brown shaped spots that can appear anywhere in your body and is typically harmless. 

13. Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is one of the biggest skin concerns seen with age. This is caused by extreme sun exposure.

People over the age of 40 need to check for changes in their skin and new moles. Applying sunscreen whenever exposed to sunlight is one of the best prevention.

14. Back Pain

Increased back pain is common in your 40s. The main cause of this is your age, but a more serious problem can sometimes cause it.

Every day for 40 years, you have been sitting, bending down, walking, jumping, and running. It is very normal for your body to become worn down.

15. Hearing Loss

With age, you start to lose our hearing slowly. For some, this happens at a very slow pace, but it can happen pretty quickly for others. About 38.2 million North Americans suffer from hearing loss.

In your 40s, it is common to start noticing hearing loss. All these years of being exposed to loud sounds are the cause of some kind of hearing loss.

16. Ulcers

Ulcers are common in both men in women around the age of 40. It can cause extreme discomfort and cause loss of appetite, vomiting, nausea, and pain. If untreated, it can be very dangerous.

Ulcers can be caused by alcohol, coffee, smoking, aspirin, and ibuprofen.

17.Cardiovascular Disease

You are vulnerable to getting cardiovascular disease if you lived an unhealthy lifestyle in your 20s and 30s.

Having high blood pressure and high cholesterol can put you at risk of getting this disease once you turn 40. Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the United States.

18. Mood Changes

Although most mental illnesses are typically diagnosed when you are young, people over 40 can get depression and anxiety.

The thought of needing to have everything figured out can cause depression and anxiety in adults. Having life regrets can leave you mentally vulnerable.

19.Hot Flashes 

For women, it is common to start to experience hot flashes in your 40s. Premenopausal symptoms can cause this.

This is your body's way of introducing menopause. Yet menopause typically happens in your 50s.

20. Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are tiny minerals that form in your bladder and can be extremely painful. People over 40 are at risk of experiencing kidney stones, especially men.

They are caused by dehydration, poor diet, not urinating frequently. They tend to come out on their own, but in some cases, surgery is needed.

21. Fertility Issues

As you age, the number of eggs women have decreased, making it difficult to get pregnant. Some women can experience infertility five to 10 years before menopause begins.

A way of knowing if your eggs are declining is by keeping track of your menstrual cycle. Infrequent periods is one of the signs.

22. Allergies

You tend to think that food allergies develop when we are young. But actually, adults over the age of 40 can develop allergies that they've never had before.

Seafood and nuts are the most common foods that adults can develop an allergy to.

23. Heart Burn

Anyone can experience heartburn at any age. Sometimes the cause of heartburn can be the types of foods you eat. Heartburn can get worse and more frequent with age.

Your muscles age and become weaker, causing the muscle that controls the esophagus's opening and the stomach to stop working properly.

24. Stroke

Experiencing a stroke can be life-threatening and very scary—the chance of having a stroke increase with age.

Depending on what type of stroke and how fast it is treated, it can cause brain damage. It is important to live a healthy lifestyle to help reduce the chances of having a stroke.

25. Increase in Headaches

With age, frequent headaches can become more frequent due to stress levels and other illnesses. Depending on our lifestyle, some may get more headaches than others.

26. Asthma

We tend to think that asthma is diagnosed early only in life, but that is incorrect. Adult asthma is common, but it can be hard to diagnose.

It can go undiagnosed and untreated for years because it has so many different symptoms it can be hard to diagnose.

27. Lower Sex Drive

As we get older, we have more responsibilities and all types of stress coming in. This can affect our intimate life.

It is very common to have a lower sex drive with age. Finding ways to talk to your partner and learning how to cope with stress can help.

28. Prostate Infections

Around the age of 25, the prostate begins to grow slowly. It is not known why this occurs.

Older men may start to experience symptoms like going to the bathroom more often. It can also increase your chances of getting an infection.

29. Vitamin Deficiency 

As we age, our bodies need more vitamins to stay healthy and prevent diseases. With age, your body loses vitamin.

Vitamin deficiency can make you vulnerable to more diseases like high blood pressure, which you are already susceptible to once you turn 40.

30. Osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a disease that can occur at any age. Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints. Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that causes the cartilage to break down.

The affected areas are hips, knees, thumbs, fingers, and neck. Adults over the age of 40 are more at risk of osteoarthritis.

31. Cancer

Certain things can increase our chances of getting cancer, such as your lifestyle and genetics.

Also, age is a big risk factor. As you get older, the risk of cancer increases.

32. Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is common for women over the age of 40. The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age.

You are also at risk for ovarian cancer if you had your menstrual cycle before 12 or gave birth for the first time after 30.

33. Cataracts 

Cataracts are one of the main reasons for blindness all over the world. It causes your eye to become cloudy. Over the age of 40, chances of getting cataracts increase.

34. Receding Gums

With age, you may start to notice receding gums. It is common to have a decrease in your oral health as you age.

35. Loss of Energy 

With age, it is normal to not have as much energy as before. We have been working and carrying heavy items and walking all of our life.

Our bodies will start to get tired easier, and some may lose a lot of energy. It is important to eat healthily and do regular exercise. That will help with how much energy you will have.

36. Changes in Sense of Humor

Being an adult means having to deal constantly with stress. Stress tends to affect some more than others. It can often lead to depression.

It is common for adults to have changes in their sense of humor if they are depressed or very stressed, or simply because they changed.

37. Carpal Tunnel

Carpal tunnel is very painful and can affect anyone, but it is more commonly seen in adults over 40. Carpal tunnel syndrome is mainly caused by doing a repetitive movement.

38. Cervical Myelopathy

Cervical Myelopathy is a disorder that affects the spinal cord, especially the neck. It is common in people over the age of 40. 

About 5 in every 100 people have this disorder. It can go undetected.

39. Night Sweats

Night sweats are usually a symptom of another illness, typically in adults over 40 or. In other cases, menopause for women. 

40. Stiffness in Bones and Joints

After all the years of putting stress and weight on, our bones will result in joints and bones' stiffness. A constant activity for so many years can cause your bones to be more sensitive.

Have You Experienced These Health Issues?

Over 40? common health problems are more relatable than you might think. After reading about these common conditions, you will be more aware of your health. 

When you're over 40, you can experience ulcers, cancer, vitamin deficiency, prostate infections, etc.

Are you wondering how to get your prescriptions delivered to your door? Contact us to learn more about our prescriptions.